Chapter 22 : Sweet and Bitter Retribution (2)

Chapter 22: Sweet and Bitter Retribution (2)

Geum Hwa, the Golden Purity Eyes, was a Sect Leader who led one of the Nine Sects One Gang.

Under normal circumstances, even if Sewoon was the Young Master of the Tang Clan—

No, precisely because he was only the Young Master of the Tang Clan—

She could not dare to command her, who stood several levels above him.

‘...Could it be.’

However, Geum Hwa ignored such discourtesy, driven by a flicker of hope in her heart.

She anxiously awaited Sewoon’s next telepathic message, not even caring about manners.

And then—

Geum Hwa could not hide the surge of emotion.

Ah, the chivalrous code of the martial world had not yet died.

Her faint hope had come true.

The absurd words Sewoon had said earlier were clearly all made up to support her.

Pushing aside her emotions, she focused on Sewoon’s words.

Soon, her intonation changed.

Straightening her shoulders once more, she began following Sewoon’s guidance, word by word.

“Hmm, no. It’s true that I made a mistake by not revealing my identity in advance, wanting to judge your talent without any preconceptions.”

“Whew, thank you for saying so.”

“But are you truly alright? Although you didn’t use any qi during the fight, you suddenly collapsed, and I feared I might have made a mistake.”

“Not at all. As I said earlier, I’ve been exhausted from caring for patients day and night these past few days, so there’s no need for concern.”

Murmur murmur.

The Tang Clan members suddenly grew noisy from their conversation.

After hearing their exchange, it truly did seem to be a misunderstanding.

“Th-then what the Young Master said is actually true?”

“Gasp! Does that mean the Divine Physician is going to teach the Young Master?”

“If the Young Master’s medical skills improve even more, could we... could we see him become the next Divine Physician!?”

Now, all anger toward Geum Hwa and the Emei Sect had completely vanished from the Tang Clan members’ faces.

In Sichuan’s martial world, the name and influence of the Subduing Tiger Divine Physician carried enormous weight.

Sighing in relief within, Geum Hwa sent Sewoon another telepathic message.

Then, under Sewoon’s secret instruction, Geum Hwa opened her mouth like a puppet on strings.

As their little scheme continued, the Tang Clan members' reactions grew increasingly enthusiastic.

‘Hmm, if I just leave one more impression here, they’ll never suspect a thing.’

With that thought, Sewoon decided to move to the next step.

He met Tang Muyeol’s gaze.

Swish.

Tang Muyeol slowly raised his right hand.

The noisy crowd instantly quieted down again.

Tang Muyeol began his performance.

“Young Master, is everything you’ve said until now really true?”

“Yes. If not, how could I dare invoke the name of the Emei Sect and its Sect Leader?”

“You foolish boy!”

Tang Muyeol’s thunderous roar made Geum Hwa and the disciples of Emei widen their eyes in shock.

“Do you realize that your actions could have sparked a horrific blood feud between our two sects!?”

“M-My Lord, please calm down for a moment...”

“Even if it appeared that they were trying to steal our clan’s martial arts, how could you attack without understanding the full situation!?”

Geum Hwa tried to calm the agitated Tang Muyeol.

But the moment he again mentioned the theft of clan techniques, she winced and shut her mouth like a clam.

The relaxed atmosphere quickly turned cold again.

However, no one, including Geum Hwa, realized—

That the very ones who had triggered this crisis, Sewoon and Tang Muyeol, were struggling not to burst out laughing.

Both of them were twitching their lips for entirely different reasons.

‘To think Father had this hidden side to him.’

Tang Muyeol’s acting was far more convincing than Sewoon had expected.

Perhaps, beneath the ever-chivalrous exterior of his father, there had always been a suppressed desire for a bit of mischief.

Learning about this previously unknown side of Tang Muyeol, Sewoon found it difficult to suppress a smile, despite the serious situation.

And as for Tang Muyeol—

‘...Huh, this is more fun than I thought?’

Discovering a hidden natural talent, he was slowly getting pulled into the dangerous game his son had shown him.

The two of them maintained their expressions perfectly as they carried on the fake quarrel.

“I lacked foresight. I only meant to intimidate with a training dagger...”

“Hmph! Even if the blade was blunt and had ‘no killing power whatsoever,’ that does not excuse your rash actions!”

“...I apologize, Clan Head.”

Tang Muyeol shouted especially loudly about the lack of lethality.

A look of confusion crossed the faces of the three from Emei.

‘...It... It didn’t have a sharp edge?’

Especially Cheong Yeon’s face turned completely pale.

If Tang Muyeol was telling the truth, her error was monumental.

Even if the opponent struck first, he had only used a training dagger with no edge.

Whereas she had drawn a real sword and charged.

If Sewoon pointed that out now, her master would suffer even greater humiliation.

“Sigh. It seems, as my son said, this was a misunderstanding. I apologize for my actions up to now.”

“N-No, Clan Head. Given the circumstances, there’s no need for apologies. Besides, my disciple also made a mistake...”

“I-I’m sorry.”

Thud.

The Tang Clan members gasped in surprise.

Cheong Yeon had suddenly knelt before Sewoon.

What kind of mistake could have prompted the disciple of the Emei Sect Leader to kneel like this?

Since only Sewoon had seen what happened before the battle, the Tang members could only be confused by the current scene.

In this matter alone, she acted faster than Geum Hwa, who had planned to speak frankly.

“How could a disciple of a renowned great sect kneel so readily?”

Sewoon had approached unnoticed and gently helped Cheong Yeon to her feet.

As Cheong Yeon stood, too flustered to say anything, Tang Sewoon continued.

“No matter how strict our Tang Clan is about grudges, we do not demand someone kneel just for some harsh words.”

What did that mean?

She had drawn her sword—not spat out profanities.

‘Ah!’

The moment she saw Sewoon gazing at her with merciful eyes,

Cheong Yeon realized his true intention.

‘He was trying to cover it up as just verbal insults.’

That’s right. He had chosen to overlook her mistake.

What kind of noble, virtuous man was this?

To forgive so generously someone who had pointed a blade at him?

Perhaps from the sudden release of tension, tears quickly welled in Cheong Yeon’s eyes.

“Sniff... Thank you. No, I’m sorry.”

“...Thank you for understanding, Young Master.”

“No, it's nothing. At a young age, it's natural to lose control of one’s temper.”

Watching Cheong Yeon speak tearfully, Geum Hwa sincerely expressed her gratitude to Sewoon.

Thus, every last shred of doubt she had harbored toward him vanished completely.

But behind Sewoon’s kindly smile as he looked at Cheong Yeon, who kept bowing her head, was a different inner thought.

‘And you think kneeling is enough to settle this?’

He planned to make her cry and grovel for real later.

Sewoon never forgot a grudge easily.

“Hoho, the Young Master truly takes after the Clan Head’s generosity.”

“Your praise is more than I deserve, Sect Leader.”

“It’s not praise. I’m simply speaking what I’ve observed.”

“Whew, I’m just grateful you view this foolish child in such a good light.”

And so, for a while, Tang Muyeol and Geum Hwa exchanged flattering words about each other’s kin.

At last, the storm had passed, and a spring breeze began to blow.

However, just then, Sewoon cautiously spoke up.

“Now that both sides seem to have cleared up the misunderstanding, shall we move on to the main topic?”

Now came the time for plunder—

No, for negotiation.

Hayeong had always had good eyes since childhood.

Not in the sense of simply being able to see far, but—

She could see straight into a person’s heart with just a few glances.

The Supreme Nun Boyeon once said her ability was a lesser version of the Golden Purity Eyes possessed by Yoo Jinhak.

When the village people, calling her possessed by ghosts, had chased the orphaned girl out—

Those eyes had been a curse.

But after joining the Emei Sect and rising to the status of senior disciple,

They had proven to be a tremendous blessing.

Perhaps because of that, Hayeong had a habit of analyzing others like a constable in detail before feeling at ease.

But today, for the first time in her life, one person had thrown her completely off.

‘...Who in the world is he really?’

Her gaze, shaken, fixed on a single man.

After the Clan Head dismissed the subordinates, only direct relatives and hall leaders remained in the meeting room.

And presiding over this meeting was none other than Tang Sewoon, the Young Master.

The reason for her confusion was simple.

The image of a great hero, smiling kindly as he forgave her junior disciple—

“...You want the abandoned mine in Wol Mountain, in Shuangliu County?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Hmmm, since it’s a discarded mine, there shouldn't be any issue. But its location near Qingcheng Sect may cause...”

“Ugh, suddenly my dantian...”

“...problems. Even so, I and our Emei Sect will step in to secure approval.”

And the way he slyly leveraged their mistakes for gain.

The cunning face in front of her now was worlds apart from earlier.

“Next, I’d like to use the main forge of the Murim Alliance headquarters.”

“Hmm, I’m really sorry, but that’s beyond my authority. To use the main forge, you need permission from the head blacksmith of the Alliance, Dae Noya...”

“Ahh, my left arm is suddenly aching...”

“...However, I shall personally negotiate with Dae Noya, as an Elder of the Alliance...”

Still, calling him a villain with a double personality would also be entirely wrong.

‘...If anything, he’s making difficult—but still achievable—requests for our sake.’

With every proposal Sewoon made, Geum Hwa grew more flustered.

She kept offering significant financial compensation, which he flatly refused.

Instead, his requests were consistently bizarre and unpredictable.

He asked for a worthless abandoned mine—

Requested that a military strategist from the Strategy Division be reassigned as his personal bodyguard—

No matter how she looked at it, none of this seemed to benefit the Tang Clan.

‘...Sigh, I just don’t understand at all.’

Just as Hayeong gave up trying to figure out Sewoon’s thoughts,

Their eyes met.

Whoosh.

What was that?

Hayeong was startled.

Sewoon had clearly met her gaze—and deliberately looked away.

In that moment, for the first time, a sliver of emotion leaked from him.

‘Why did he...’

And in that gaze, the emotion that surfaced was unmistakably...